Rail joint



mzmss 'J. MCGINNIEQSS RAIL JOINT ATTO R N EY Filed May 25, 1924WITNESSES Patented F eb. 17, 1925.

NHTED TT JOHN MCGINNIESS, OF RIVER ROUGE, lVlIC-IGAN.

RAIL JOINT.

Application led May 23,

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN MoGrNNiEss, a citizen ci the United States,residing at River Rouge, in the county of lltayne and State of Michigan,have invented a new and useful Rail Joint, of which the following is aspecification,

rlhis invention relates to rail joints, and is designed as animpro-vement on the structure shown and described in Patent Number1,069,970 issued to nie August 12, 1913 on a rail joint.

rlhe object is to provide a rail joint, in the 'term of' a chair havingmeans for engagement with the ties of a railway, and means 't'orconnecting the chair to the abutting ends of two rails, whereby therails are prevented from creeping longitudinally on the ties, but maypartake of the usual expansion and contraction due to atmosphericchanges.

Another object is to provide a joint of this character especiallyadapted for use on a double track system, particularly interurbanelectric systems wherein the cars all move in one direction on giventrack, the joint being so constructed and arranged as to depend somewhaton the direction of rolling movement of the wheels of the cars to assistin maintaining certain tightening means and automatic wear take-up meansin proper cooperative relation, the present invention being thusproperly termed a One-way joint, though the same may be used on aone-track system.

A further object is to provide a joint wherein a single fish plate isutilized thus effecting a. great saving, and which may be properlyapplied to and associated with the abutting ends of the rails withoutthe use of bolts, so that there are no bolt heads, threads or nuts torust and wear out, the rail joint being much lighter than that shown insaid patent, and capable of manufacture at a reduced cost.

A final object is to provide means in the improved joint for conductingelectric cur rent from one rail to the other in a positive mannerwithout dependinp` on the chair, said means being completely housed andprotected within the chair and capable of permitting the rails to expandor contract without deranging the same.

A full and complete understanding oit the invention may be obtained froma consideration of the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying 1924. Serial No. 715,376.

drawing forming a part of this specification; it being understood thatwhile the drawing shows a practical form of the inven` tion, the latteris not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof, butmay be changed or modified so long as such changes o-r modificationsmark no lmaterial departure from the salient features of the invention,as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several figures:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rail joint applied to atrack.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the same. l

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective View of the tightening wedge used inthe joint. j

Figure 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the bonding springs forconducting electric current from one rail to the other.

Referring to the drawing in which one embodiment of the invention isillustrated, there is shown a rail oint including a chair, formed of'suitable cast metal, having a bottom wall 1 and spaced, upstanding sidewalls 2 and 3 formed integrally with the bottom. At the point of'juncture with the bottom, the side walls are provided withoutwardly-extending pockets i and 5 respectively, for the reception ofthe rail ianges 6, and the chair is so formed that when said rail isseated within the same. the side wall 2 is located closer to the web 7of the rail, than the other side wall 3,

clearly shown in Figure of the drawing, ,i

the upper' end of said w being bevelle'd to fit beneath the head of therail 8 and to bear firmly at its inner edge upon the flange 6.

Outstanding flanges 9 are formed integrally with the chair and extendacross the bottom thereof and up the side walls, exterior to the same,the upper edges of the latter being bevelled, as at 10, to preventcatching and holding water or moisture. These flanges are spaced fromthe ends of' the chair, and are adapted to lit between tive ties 11 andto abut against the saine, to prevent the chair and the rails freinbodilycreeping, as will be clearly understood.

The side wall 3, which is spaced farthest` from the web of the rail, ispreferably lellt) cated at the outside of said rail, and is pro:-V videdon its inner, vertical face with a longitudinal runway 12 which istapered from one end to the other, as shown in Figure 2, the entranceend of said runway heing spaced farther from the web of therail than theother end thereof. The longitudinal, central portion of said runway isprovided with a depression or channel 12a so as to provideupperand-lower track surfaces for a. purpose to be explained.

The opposite side kwall 2 is provided on its inner, vertical face with alongitudinal depression 13, so as to provide a1 longitudinal spacebetween the wall and the web of the rail, and the. said'wall is alsoprovided on its outer face with a series of bosses 14.-, equallyspaced'apart, there being two between the flanges 9 and one between eachofthe saine and the respective ends of the chair. Bores or sockets 15Vare formed in the inner face of the wall 2 opposite the bosses 14: s othat the latter provide walls closing the hottonis of the sockets.

The upper, inner corner edge of the Vouter side wall 3 normally comescloselyV adjacent to the lower corner of the ball or head of the. rail,as shown in Figure 3, to exclude moisture, and between the saine and thewehl of the rail there is interposed a fish plate. 16 of equal lengthwith the chair and having its upper and lower ends hevelled to contornito the bevelled lower face ofV the hall of the rail and the bevelledupper face of the adjacent base flange thereof, so thaty the said fishplate serves, hy such contact, with the inner sidewall 2, to support theball or head of the rail on both sides.

The fish plate 16 is provided with an inner longitudinal channel ordepression ly? extending from end. to end thereof and providing a` spacecorresponding to the aforesaid space formed by the rdepression in theinnerface of the side wall 2,' these spaces serving to lighten andcheapen the structure without detracting. materially from Vthe strengthof the saine, and` at the saine timev providing necessary spaces for apurpose to be explained. v

The web 7 of the rail is provided with the usual slots 7a forinedtherein 'substantially midway of its height, and spaced 'trono the endsof the rail sections; a distance to correspond with the aforesaidsockets 15 inl the inner side wall, said openings being in theY forni ofslots to provide for the expansion and contraction of the rails under'the` influence of heat and cold. Thelish plate 1G is likewise providedwith apertures v18` alined with the slots 7a and the sockets 1'5.

Transverse pins 19 are located iu the alined openings, the outer ends ofsaid pins being disposed slightly short of the outer face of the fishplate, so that pressure brought to bear against the outer faceof thelish plate will not be taken up by said pins. The pins 19 serve tosecure therails to the chair, and since the latter is lirnily anchoredby the flanges 9 between the railway ties 11, the said rails areprevented from creeping to any material extent, except as limited by theexpansion slots 7, through the action olt the rolling wheels of cars`all moving in one, direction.

Located in the tapered runway 12 is a correspondingly tapered wedge 2OofA substantially the saine length as the chair, though. by reason ofthe shape of the runway, said wedge projects at itslarger end beyond theend of the chair, as shown in Figure and is there provided with anintegral, out standing head J1 having an aperture formed therein, saidaperture lacing adapted to receive the end of a rod 23, provided with ahead v2l bearing against the aforesaid head 21.

The rod 23 passes through an aperture 25 formed in theadjacenttransverse flange 9 on the outer side of the chair and extends to apoint somewhat beyond the joint between the rail sections. The. saidflange 9 is furtherl provided with a counterhore 26 having` screwthreads for the reception of the threaded end of a tubular housing 27,`open at both ends and normally extending he-y yond the free end of therod 23.

Surrounding the rod 23 andv within the tubular housing 27, there is acoiled spring 23 having one end bearing against the wall forming thebottoni of the counterbore 26 and the other end extending nearly to theend of the rod', which is threadedfor the reception of adjusting nuts29, which hear against said end of the springend may be adjusted toincrease the tension upon the spring as inay be required through thewearing of the parts.

The pressure of the spring 28 constantly exerts an inward. pull on thewedge 20 which in turn, by reason of the inclined or tapering runway,causes an inward pressure upon the fish plate 1G` towards the web 7V ofthe rail, and as the contacting parts of the device may become yworn bythe heavy strain of passing trains ol cars, it will. be seen that suchwear is compensated for, and the inner side wail 2, as wellias the lishplate 16. arey held in tight engagement withthe flanges (i andthe lowerbevelled faces, ot the ball of the rail. Thepoclet il ofthe inner sideWall is somewhat longer than theadjacent flange 6 sothat such take upofl the parts may bc effected. The housing 2T serves to protect the rodYand the spring 28 from water and from drippings from refrigerator orsimilar cars and prevents rust and corrosion, thus prolonging thelife ofsaid parts.

lilounted within the spaces provided at cach side of the web ofthe railvbetween the saine and the side Wall 2 and fish plate 16 respectively,are elongated leaf springs 30 preferably formed of steel and having alining 3l of brass or copper to provide a suitable conductor forelectric current, said springs serving as a bonding element between theadjacent ends of the rails, the brass or copper lining bearing on thesides of the webs by the pressure of the same, while the central portionof the spring, which is bowed, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, bearsagainst the inner face of the wall 2. The ends of the bonding springsare slotted, as at 32, to receive the innermost transverse pins i9 whichthus serve to support the springs at the proper elevation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a strong and durable device forthis purpose has been provided, which may be manufactured at a low costand that the action of the rolling wheels of cars, all moving in onedirection, which direction is from the large to the small end of thewedge, will thus serve to hold the latter in place in addition to theaction of the spring.

lVhat is claimed is:

l. A rail joint including a chair having a bottom, side members carriedthereby, one of said side members being provided with spaced sockets,the other side member having a runway, a fish plate interposed betweenthe last-named side member and the rail, said fish plate havingopenings, pins each having one end seated in a socket and the other endin an opening of the fish plate and traversing the expansion slots inthe web of the rail, a wedge seated in the said runway and bearingagainst the fish plate, and means for pulling the wedge into the runway.

2. A rail joint including a chair having a bottom, integral side memberscarried thereby and provided with seats for rail fianges, one of saidside members bearing beneath the ball of the rail at the top thereof andupon the rail flange at the bottom and being provided with spacedsockets, the other side member having a longitudinally disposed runway,a fish plate interposed be.- tween the last-named side member and theweb of the rail and bearing at the top and bottom against the ball andflange of the rail respectively, said rails being provided withexpansion slots said fish plat-e having openings in alinement with thesaid sockets, pins each having one end seated in a socket and the otherend in an opening of the fish plate and traversing the expansion slotsin the web of the rail, a longitudinally disposed wedge seated in thesaid runway and bearing against the fish plate, and means for pullingthe wedge into the runway to bind the fish plate and the opposite wallof the chair to the rail.

3. In combination with the abutting ends of two rails, a chaircomprising a bottom wall and spaced side walls and adapted to receivethe web and fianges of said rails, automatically-adjusted means fortaking up wear between the chair and the rails, means for locking thechair to the rails to permit expansion of the rails, and transverseflanges carried by the chair to abut the ties and prevent longitudinalcreeping of said chair and rails.

4. In combination with the ends of two adjoining rails having expansionslots in the ends thereof, a chair adapted to receive the rails and spanthe joint, said chair having side walls and a bottom wail joining thesaine, one side wall fitting under the ball of the rail and bearing onthe rail flange and having sockets in alinement with the said expansionslots, the other side wall being spaced from the rail and having alongitudinally tapered runway, a iish plate located between thelast-named side wall and the web of the rail and fitting under the ballof the rail and bearing on the rail flange and having openings inalinement with said expansion slots, pins seated in the alined openings,slots and sockets, a tapered wedge longitudinally movable in the saidrunway, and means for exerting a constant inward pressure on the wedgeto force the fish plate inwardly to take up wear of the parts.

5. in combination with the ends of two adjoining rails having expansionslots in the ends thereof, a chair adapted to receive the rails and spanthe joint, said chair having side walls and a bottom wall joining thesame, one side wall fitting under the ball of the rail and bearing onthe rail fiange and having sockets in alinen'ient with the saidexpansion slots, the other side wall being spaced from the rail andhaving a longitudinally tapered runway, a fish plate located between thelast-named side wall and the web of the rail and fitting under the ballof the rail and bearing on the rail flange and having openings inalinement with said expansion slots, pins seated in the alined openings,slot-s and sockets, a tapered wedge longitudinally movable in the saidrunway, said wedge having at it larger exposed end an odset head, alongitudinal rod secured to said head and extending exterior andparallel to the wall of the chair, and a spring mounted on said rod soas to pull the wedge into the runway to tighten the parts.

6. In combination with the ends of two adjoining rails having expansionslots in the ends thereof, a chair adapted to receive the rails and spanthe joint, said chair having side walls and a bottom wall joining thesame, one side wall fitting under the ball of the rail and bearing onthe rail flange and having sockets in alinernent with the said expansionslots, the other side wall being spaced from the rail and having alongitudinally tapered runway, a fish plate located between thelast-named side wall and the web of the rail and fitting under the ballof the rail and bearing on the rail flange and havingopenings inalineinent with said expansion slots, pins seated in the alinedopenings, slots and sockets, a tapered wedge longitudinally movable inthe said runway, transverse flanges formed'exterior to the side wallsand bottom ef the chair and adapted to abut against railroad ties, anoutwardly extending head formed on the outer end ofthe wedge, alongitudinal rod connected to the head and having` a sliding bearing inthe adjacent transverse flange, an open-ended tubular housing mounted atone end in said transverse flange and surrounding the free end of' therod, a coil spring surrounding the rod within the housing and bearing atone end against said flange and a nut threaded on the end of 'the rodand bearing against the other end of the spring to regulate the tensionon the same. Y

7. A rail joint including a chair having a bottom wall connected tospaced side walls adapted to receive the rails between the same, oneside wall bearing beneath the ball of the rail and on the base flangethereof7 and having a longitudinal channel providing a space between thesaine and the web of the rail, the other wall being further spaced fromthe web and having a longitudinal runway, a fish plate having alongitudinal channel interposed between the second side wall and the weband bearing beneath the ball of the rail and on the base flange, transverse pins having their ends seated in the first wall and the fish plateand traversing the expansion slots of the web, a wedge mounted in therunway and forcing the iish plate inwardly, means for exerting an inwardpressure Von the wedge, and bowed bonding springs moruited in thechannels ot the side wall and fish plate and having their ends slottedto stradd'le the innermost pins if and bearing against the opposite railwebs to conduct electric current.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaflixed my signature.

JOHN MCGINNIFJSS.

